System and method for adjusting auger assemblies of paving machines

ABSTRACT

A system for operating an auger assembly includes a controller configured to receive data detected by one or more sensors. Further, the controller is configured to determine an operational parameter associated with a movement of a screed assembly based on data. Also, the controller is configured to control a position of the auger assembly based on the operational parameter such that the auger assembly aligns with respect to the screed assembly at a predetermined distance with respect to the screed assembly.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a paving machine having an augerassembly and a screed assembly. More particularly, the presentdisclosure relates to a system and method for adjusting the augerassembly based on a position or a movement of the screed assembly.

BACKGROUND

Paving machines are used to deposit layers of a road forming material,such as asphalt, concrete, and bitumen, on a ground surface to formroadways, parking lots, etc. A paving machine generally includes atractor and a screed assembly. The tractor includes a hopper and aconveying system that facilitates intake, delivery, and distribution ofthe road forming material onto a region of the ground surface in frontof the screed assembly. The paving machine includes augers to distributethe road forming material generally transversely across the groundsurface in front of the screed assembly. The screed assembly includes ascreed plate that is pushed or pulled over the distributed road formingmaterial to grade, level, and smoothen the road forming material, overthe ground surface.

Over the course of a paving operation, the auger assembly is commonlyraised or lowered to a suitable height relative to the ground surface orto the screed assembly to sufficiently spread and distribute the pavingmaterial. If the auger assembly is adjusted too high relative to theground surface or to the screed assembly, the paving material may not beappropriately spread and be deposited on the ground surface, and neitherwould the screed assembly be able to appropriately smoothen out thedeposited paving material over the ground surface. On the other hand, ifthe auger assembly is adjusted too low relative to the ground surface orto the screed assembly, it may disrupt the paving material such thatthere may not be enough material for the screed assembly to smoothen andprovide pre-compaction for.

European Patent No. 0774542 ('542 reference) relates to a roadpaver-finisher having a screed unit. The road paver finisher includes anauger that operates in front of the screed unit to distribute thematerial to be laid over a road surface. The '542 reference disclosesthat a sensor is provided on the road paver finisher to measure therelative vertical position between the screed unit and a subframe of theroad paver finisher, and, accordingly, transmit appropriate signals tolengthen or shorten the hydraulic pistons coupled with the auger toensure that the auger always follow all the changes in height made bythe screed during the laying work.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an aspect, the present disclosure relates to a system for operatingan auger assembly for distributing road forming material for a pavingoperation. The system includes a controller configured to receive datadetected by one or more sensors. Further, the controller is configuredto determine an operational parameter associated with a movement of ascreed assembly based on data. Also, the controller is configured tocontrol a position of the auger assembly based on the operationalparameter such that the auger assembly aligns with respect to the screedassembly at a predetermined distance with respect to the screedassembly.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method foradjusting an auger assembly for distributing road forming material for apaving operation. The method includes receiving, by a controller, datadetected by one or more sensors; determining, by the controller, anoperational parameter associated with a movement of a screed assemblybased on data; and controlling, by the controller, a position of theauger assembly based on the operational parameter such that the augerassembly aligns with respect to the screed assembly at a predetermineddistance with respect to the screed assembly.

In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to a paving machine. Thepaving machine includes a tractor, a screed assembly operably coupled tothe tractor, first fluid cylinders configured to power a movement of thescreed assembly relative to a ground surface, sensors configured todetect data indicative of the movement of the screed assembly relativeto the ground surface, an auger assembly disposed between the tractorand the screed assembly and adapted to spread and distribute pavingmaterial in front of the screed assembly, and a controller. Thecontroller is configured to receive data detected by the sensors anddetermine an operational parameter associated with the movement of thescreed assembly based on data. Further, the controller is configured tocontrol a position of the auger assembly based on the operationalparameter such that the auger assembly aligns with respect to the screedassembly at a predetermined distance with respect to the screedassembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 and 2 are various operational states of an auger assembly withrespect to a screed assembly of an exemplary paving machine, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the paving machine illustrating an inclinationof the screed assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 is a system for operating the auger assembly for distributingroad forming material for a paving operation, in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a method for adjusting the auger assembly, in accordance withan embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosure,examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whereverpossible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an exemplary paving machine 100 isdiscussed. The paving machine 100 may include an asphalt paver or anyother machine used to distribute layers of road forming material, suchas asphalt, concrete, and bitumen, on a ground surface 102. The pavingmachine 100 includes a tractor 104 having a frame 106 with a set ofground engaging members 108 coupled with the frame 106. Though theground engaging members 108 are represented as tracks in FIG. 1, theground engaging members 108 may include wheels, either alone or incombination with the tracks. The frame 106 of the tractor 104 defines afront portion 110 and a rear portion 112. The terms ‘front’ and ‘rear’,as used herein, may be understood by referring to a general operationalmotion executed by the paving machine 100 in which an underlyingquantity of road forming material is paved over the ground surface 102,and, in which, the front portion 110 of the frame 106 leads the rearportion 112 of the frame 106 (see direction, L). Apart from the tractor104, the paving machine 100 includes a screed unit 114 and an auger unit116.

The tractor 104 may include a power source (not shown) supported by theframe 106. The power source may include an engine, such as an internalcombustion engine, configured to power operations of various systems onthe paving machine 100. Optionally, the power source may also include anelectrical power source, either alone or in combination with the engine.Further, the tractor 104 may include an operator station 118 supportedover the frame 106, in proximity to the rear portion 112 of the frame106. The operator station 118 may facilitate stationing of one or moreoperators therein, enabling operator control over one or more functionsof the paving machine 100. For example, the operator station 118 mayhouse one or more operator interfaces (see an input device 120, FIG. 1and FIG. 2) that may be accessed by operators for controlling the manyfunctions of the paving machine 100. The input device 120 may include,but not limited to, one or more of touch screens, joysticks, switches,etc., and the like.

The tractor 104 further includes a hopper 122. The hopper 122 may besupported in proximity to the front portion 110 of the frame 106, asshown, and may be configured to receive and store road forming material124 therein. As an example, a dump truck having a dump body may moveahead (i.e., in front) of the hopper 122 and may unload the road formingmaterial 124 into the hopper 122, during operations. The tractor 104 mayalso include a conveyor system (not shown) to move the road formingmaterial 124 from the hopper 122 towards the rear portion 112 of theframe 106.

The screed unit 114 may be operably coupled to the frame 106 at the rearportion 112 of the frame 106. The screed unit 114 may include a screedassembly 126 that may be configured to receive the road forming material124 delivered by the conveyor system in front of the screed assembly126, during operation. Exemplarily, as the paving machine 100 may movealong direction, L, the road forming material 124 may be forced underthe screed assembly 126, and the screed assembly 126 may, in turn,grade, level, and shape the road forming material 124 into a layerhaving a desired thickness and width over the ground surface 102. As aresult, a mat 128 may be formed over the ground surface 102, as shown.

The screed assembly 126 may be free-floating or self-levelling (e.g.,according to the characteristics acquired by the mat 128) and may bemovably coupled to the rear portion 112 of the frame 106 by a pair oftow arms 130, 130′—only one of which is visible in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Asshown, the one tow arm visible in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 corresponds to a towarm 130 disposed at a first lateral side 132 (see FIG. 3) of the pavingmachine 100. The other tow arm 130′ of the pair of tow arms 130, 130′may be disposed at a second lateral side 134 (see FIG. 3) of the pavingmachine 100.

In cases where the thickness of the mat 128 need to be controlled, aposition and orientation of the screed assembly 126 relative to theframe 106 and the ground surface 102 may be adjusted by pivotally movingthe tow arms 130, 130′. To pivotally move the tow arms 130, 130′, thepaving machine 100 may include one or more actuators (see example firstfluid cylinders 136, 136′). The first fluid cylinders 136, 136′ may beconnected between the frame 106 and the tow arms 130, 130′. When thefirst fluid cylinders 136, 136′ (e.g., in tandem) are actuated, the towarms 130, 130′ (and, in turn, the screed assembly 126) may be displaced(e.g., raised and lowered) relative to the frame 106 and to the groundsurface 102. Effectively, the first fluid cylinders 136, 136′ power amovement of the screed assembly 126 relative to the ground surface 102.

The actuators (i.e., the first fluid cylinders 136, 136′) may includeany suitable actuators, such as hydraulic based actuators and/orpneumatic based actuators. In some cases, the actuators (i.e., the firstfluid cylinders 136, 136′) may be actuated synchronously to uniformlymove all portions of the screed assembly 126, while, in other cases, thefirst fluid cylinders 136, 136′ may be actuated independently such thatone portion (e.g., the second lateral side) of the screed assembly 126may be raised or lowered with respect to the other portion (e.g., thefirst lateral side) of the screed assembly 126, and such that the screedassembly 126 may define an overall angle (or an overall inclination)with respect to the ground surface 102 and/or to the frame 106 of thepaving machine 100—see orientation of the screed assembly 126 in FIG. 3.In this regard, the first fluid cylinder 136 may be located at the firstlateral side 132 of the screed assembly 126, while the first fluidcylinder 136′ may be located at the second lateral side 134 of thescreed assembly 126.

Referring to FIG. 4, the first fluid cylinders 136 includes a cylinderportion 138 and a rod portion 140. The rod portion 140 may bedisplaceable with respect to the cylinder portion 138. The rod portion140 may be fixedly coupled to a piston 142 (shown in FIG. 4)accommodated within the cylinder portion 138, with the piston 142dividing the cylinder portion 138 into a head end chamber 144 (definingan end 146) and a rod end chamber 148. Both the head end chamber 144 andthe rod end chamber 148 may be configured to receive fluid fordisplacing the rod portion 140 with respect to the cylinder portion 138.As an example, an entry of fluid into the head end chamber 144 may causethe rod portion 140 to extend away from the cylinder portion 138 andpush fluid out of the rod end chamber 148, while an entry of fluid intothe rod end chamber 148 may cause the rod portion 140 to retract intothe cylinder portion 138 and push fluid out of the head end chamber 144.According to one embodiment, an extension of the rod portion 140relative to the cylinder portion 138 may cause the screed assembly 126to be lowered relative to the frame 106 towards the ground surface 102,while a retraction of the rod portion 140 into the cylinder portion 138may cause the screed assembly 126 to be raised away from the groundsurface 102. It may be noted that when the piston 142 and/or the rodportion 140 is farthest from the end 146, the screed assembly 126 may beclosest to the ground surface 102, while when the piston 142 and/or therod portion 140 is closest to the end 146, the screed assembly 126 isfarthest from the ground surface 102. Similar discussions may becontemplated for the first fluid cylinder 136′.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the paving machine 100includes one or more sensors correspondingly disposed within the one ormore first fluid cylinders 136, 136′. For example, the one or moresensors corresponds to a sensor 150 disposed within the first fluidcylinder 136 and a sensor 150′ disposed within the first fluid cylinder136′. The sensors 150, 150′ are configured to detect data associatedwith actuation of the one or more first fluid cylinders 136, 136′ andthe movement of the screed assembly 126. For example, the sensors 150,150′ detect data indicative of the movement of the screed assembly 126relative to the ground surface 102. In some embodiments, the sensors150, 150′ are proximity sensors or linear sensors correspondinglyaccommodated within the cylinder portions 138, 138′ and are configuredto detect corresponding proximities (or distances) by which the pistons142, 142′ or the rod portions 140, 140′ may be separated from ends 146,146′ of the cylinder portions 138, 138′. Based on the proximity and/orthe distance, the sensors 150, 150′ are adapted to generate signals ordata which may be indicative of positions of the pistons 142, 142′and/or rod portions 140, 140′ with respect to the associated cylinderportions 138, 138′ (i.e., the ends 146, 146′ of the cylinder portions138, 138′).

While the sensors 150, 150′ is exemplary noted to include proximitysensors or linear sensors, various other types of sensors, such as massflow sensors or pressure sensors, may be applied to detect the positionof the pistons 142, 142′ and/or the rod portions 140, 140′ with respectto the corresponding cylinder portions 138, 138′, at any given point.Further, the sensor 150 may be accommodated within the cylinder portion138, at the end 146 of the cylinder portion 138, although other sensorpositions may be contemplated. For example, the sensor 150 may bemounted to the piston 142 to perform one or more of the aforementionedtasks. Similar discussions may be contemplated for the sensor 150′.

The auger unit 116 may be disposed between the tractor 104 and thescreed assembly 126 and may be adapted to receive the road formingmaterial 124 from the hopper 122. The auger unit 116 may spread anddistribute the road forming material 124 in front of the screed assembly126. In an embodiment, the auger unit 116 includes an auger assembly152, such as a screw auger, and one or more actuators (see examplesecond fluid cylinders 154, 154′, in FIG. 4) connected between the frame106 and the auger assembly 152. In an embodiment, the second fluidcylinders 154 may be located at the first lateral side 132 of the pavingmachine 100, while the second fluid cylinder 154′ may be located at thesecond lateral side 134 of the paving machine 100.

The second fluid cylinders 154, 154′ may be configured to power amovement of the auger assembly 152 so as to raise and/or lower the augerassembly 152, relative to the mat 128. Similar to the structure of thefirst fluid cylinders 136, 136′, the second fluid cylinder 154 includesa cylinder portion 156, and a rod portion 158 displaceable with respectto the cylinder portion 156. The rod portion 158 may be fixedly coupledto a piston 160 (shown in FIG. 4) accommodated within the cylinderportion 156, with the piston 160 dividing the cylinder portion 156 intoa head end chamber 162 and a rod end chamber 164.

Both the head end chamber 162 and the rod end chamber 164 may beconfigured to receive fluid for displacing the rod portion 158 withrespect to the cylinder portion 156. As an example, an entry of fluidinto the head end chamber 162 may cause the rod portion 158 to extendaway from the cylinder portion 156 and push fluid out of the rod endchamber 164, while an entry of fluid into the rod end chamber 164 maycause the rod portion 158 to retract into the cylinder portion 156 andpush fluid out of the head end chamber 162. According to one embodiment,an extension of the rod portion 158 relative to the cylinder portion 156may cause the auger assembly 152 to be lowered relative to the frame 106towards the mat 128, while a retraction of the rod portion 158 into thecylinder portion 156 may cause the auger assembly 152 to be raised awayfrom the mat 128.

In some embodiments, the head end chamber 162 and the rod end chamber164 of the second fluid cylinder 154 may be fluidly connected to a fluidsupply unit that may facilitate supply of fluid to one or both of thehead end chamber 162 and the rod end chamber 164. According to oneexample, the fluid supply unit may include a hydraulic pump 166 that mayprovide (selective/alternative) fluid supply to each of the head endchamber 162 and the rod end chamber 164. In this regard, the hydraulicpump 166 may be a bi-rotational pump configured to supply fluid into thehead end chamber 162 and simultaneously draw fluid from the rod endchamber 164 in one instance, while supply fluid into the rod end chamber164 and draw fluid from the head end chamber 162 in another instance. Inthat manner, the second fluid cylinder 154 may be actuated. Similardiscussions may be contemplated for the second fluid cylinder 154′, aswell.

In some cases, head end chambers 162, 162′ of each of the second fluidcylinders 154, 154′ may be fluidly coupled to each other, and,similarly, the rod end chambers 164, 164′ of each of the second fluidcylinders 154, 154′ may be fluidly coupled to each other. In so doing,when fluid is supplied to the head end chamber 162 of one second fluidcylinder 154, fluid may also enter the head end chamber 162′ of theother second fluid cylinder 154′, causing the second fluid cylinders154, 154′ to be actuated in tandem—e.g., the rod portions 158, 158′ areextended at the same time and to the same extent. Similarly, when fluidis supplied to the rod end chamber 164 of one second fluid cylinder 154,fluid may also enter the rod end chamber 164′ of the other second fluidcylinder 154′, causing the second fluid cylinders 154, 154′ to beactuated in tandem—e.g., the rod portions 158,158′ are retracted at thesame time and to the same extent. Such a functionality allows the secondfluid cylinders 154, 154′ to cause synchronous and uniform movement ofthe auger assembly 152 relative to the mat 128.

In some embodiments, other actuators types may be applied to actuate theauger assembly 152. For example, fluid actuators may be omitted and,rather, electrical actuators may be incorporated, either alone or incombination with the fluid cylinders, to raise and lower the augerassembly 152. Therefore, the application of the second fluid cylinders154, 154′, as noted above, applied for the actuation of the augerassembly 152, need to be seen as exemplary.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the pavingmachine 100 includes a system 168 for operating the auger assembly 152for distributing the road forming material 124 for a paving operation.In one example, the system 168 is applied to control a position of theauger assembly 152 based on a position of the screed assembly 126. Inthat manner, the system 168 facilitates the auger assembly 152 to bebrought in alignment with the screed assembly 126 at a predetermineddistance with respect to the screed assembly 126, thereby facilitatingan effective spread and distribution of the road forming material 124 infront of the screed assembly 126. In this regard, the system 168includes a controller 170—details of which will be discussed furtherbelow. In one or more embodiments, the sensors 150, 150′, as discussedabove, may form part of the system 168, as well.

The controller 170 may be communicably coupled (e.g., wirelessly) to thesensors 150, 150′ so as to receive data detected or signals generated bythe sensors 150, 150′. As an example, based on data received (e.g.,proximity and/or the distance) detected by the sensors 150, 150′ and/orthe generated signals, the controller 170 may be configured to processthe signals. In this regard, the controller 170 may be configured toretrieve a set of instructions from a memory 172 and run the set ofinstructions to process the signals received from the sensors 150, 150′.Based on the processed signals, the controller 170 may determine anoperational parameter associated with the movement of the screedassembly 126 and may enable operations of the auger assembly 152—i.e.,to align the auger assembly 152 with the screed assembly 126 at apredetermined distance with respect to the screed assembly 126.

In an embodiment, the operational parameter associated with the movementof the screed assembly 126 may correspond to the ‘position’ of the rodportions 140, 140′ with respect to the cylinder portions 138, 138′attained at an end of the movement of the screed assembly 126. Inanother embodiment, the operational parameter associated with themovement of the screed assembly 126 may correspond to a ‘change in theposition’ of the rod portions 140, 140′ with respect to the cylinderportions 138, 138′ during the movement of the screed assembly 126relative to the ground surface 102.

To determine the operational parameter associated with the movement ofthe screed assembly 126, the controller 170 may be configured toretrieve a map table stored within a memory 172. The map table mayinclude one or more tabulations or charts where multiple valuesassociated with the processed signals are tabulated and correspondedagainst multiple positions of the rod portions 140, 140′ with respect tothe cylinder portions 138, 138′ of the first fluid cylinders 136, 136′.

In some embodiments, the multiple positions of the rod portions 140,140′ with respect to the cylinder portions 138, 138′ of the first fluidcylinders 136, 136′ (that correspond to the values associated with theprocessed signals in the map table) may be expressed in the map table byway of percentages—for example, a maximum extension of the piston 142 orthe rod portion 140 out of the cylinder portion 138 may correspond to95% actuation of the first fluid cylinder 136, while a maximumretraction of the piston 142 or the rod portion 140 into the cylinderportion 138 may correspond to 5% actuation of the first fluid cylinder136. Similar discussions may be contemplated for the rod portion 140′and the cylinder portion 138′, as well. In some embodiments, at the 95%actuation of the first fluid cylinder 136, the screed assembly 126 maybe closest with respect to the ground surface 102, while at the 5%actuation of the first fluid cylinder 136, the screed assembly 126 maybe farthest with respect to the ground surface 102.

Further, in the map table, the multiple positions of the rod portions140, 140′ with respect to the cylinder portions 138, 138′ of the firstfluid cylinders 136, 136′ is corresponded against multiple locations ofthe rod portions 158, 158′ with respect to the cylinder portions 156,156′ of the second fluid cylinders 154, 154′. In other words, the maptable may include tabulated data in which multiple positions of thescreed assembly 126 is corresponded against multiple locations of theauger assembly 152. Said correspondence of the locations of the augerassembly 152 with respect to the positions of screed assembly 126enables the auger assembly 152 to be aptly placed with respect tovarious positions of the screed assembly 126, disallowing disruptions inthe paving operation and facilitating the appropriate spread of the roadforming material 124 in front of the screed assembly 126.

An exemplary determination of the aforesaid operationalparameters—‘position’ and ‘change in position’ will now be discussed.For such discussion, it will be assumed that the first fluid cylinders136, 136′ and the second fluid cylinders 154, 154′ each move in tandem.Notably, because the first fluid cylinders 136, 136′ may move in tandem,data detected by the sensors 150, 150′ may be equal to each other.

With regard to the operational parameter—‘position’, during a movementof the screed assembly 126, if the rod portions 140, 140′ of theactuators (i.e., the first fluid cylinders 136, 136′) were tocorrespondingly move the same/equal distance with respect to thecylinder portions 138, 138′, the sensors 150, 150′ may correspondinglygenerate the same signals (e.g., signals with equivalent unit measure)at the end of the movement. The controller 170 may receive such signals,process them, and tally them against corresponding positions of the rodportions 140, 140′ with respect to the cylinder portions 138, 138′ asprovided on the map table, and, may accordingly determine saidcorresponding positions (which may be the same/equal for each firstfluid cylinder 136, 136′) to be the operational parameter—‘position’associated with the movement of the screed assembly 126. It may be notedthat such an operational parameter may be indicative of a position ofthe screed assembly 126 relative to the ground surface 102 and/orrelative to the frame 106.

With regard to the operational parameter—‘change in position’, during amovement of the screed assembly 126, if the rod portions 140, 140′ ofthe actuators (i.e., the first fluid cylinders 136, 136′) were tocorrespondingly move the same/equal distance with respect to thecylinder portions 138, 138′, the sensors 150, 150′ may correspondinglygenerate the same signals (e.g., signals with equivalent unit measure)during the movement. The controller 170 may receive such signals andtally them against corresponding positions of the rod portions 140, 140′with respect to the cylinder portions 138, 138′ as provided on the maptable. Thereafter, the controller 170 may determine a change inrespective positions of the rod portions 140, 140′ with respect to thecylinder portions 138, 138′ (which may be the same/equal for each firstfluid cylinder 136, 136′) during the movement, and, may accordinglydetermine said change in respective positions to be the operationalparameter—‘change in position’ associated with the movement of thescreed assembly 126. It may be noted that such an operational parametermay be indicative of a change in a position of the screed assembly 126relative to the ground surface 102 and/or relative to the frame 106 ofthe paving machine 100.

Once the controller 170 determines the operational parameter, thecontroller 170 may control a position of the auger assembly 152 relativeto the mat 128 based on the operational parameter such that the augerassembly 152 aligns with respect to the screed assembly 126 at apredetermined distance with respect to the screed assembly 126. To thisend, the controller 170 tallies the positions of the rod portions 140,140′ with respect to the cylinder portions 138, 138′ of the first fluidcylinders 136, 136′ to corresponding locations of the rod portions 158,158′ with respect to the cylinder portions 156, 156′ of the second fluidcylinders 154, 154′ as may be found in the map table. It may be notedthat the predetermined distance may depend upon the type of the roadforming material, design and size specification of the screed assembly126 and the auger assembly 152, etc., and, in one or more cases, may beset manually by an operator of the paving machine 100.

In the case of the operational parameter—‘position’, once the(corresponding) locations of the rod portions 158, 158′ with respect tothe cylinder portions 156, 156′ of the second fluid cylinders 154, 154′is identified, the controller 170 is configured to move the rod portions158, 158′ with respect to the cylinder portions 156, 156′ such that therod portions 158, 158′ may attain the (corresponding) identifiedlocations with respect to the cylinder portions 156, 156′, effectivelycontrolling a position of the auger assembly 152 relative to the mat 128such that the auger assembly 152 aligns with respect to the screedassembly 126 at a predetermined distance with respect to the screedassembly 126.

Considering an example—to lay a mat (e.g., mat 128) having a thickness,T, inches over the ground surface 102, the screed assembly 126 may bemoved (e.g., lowered) from a position ‘A’ to a position B′. Once themovement of the screed assembly 126 stops at the position the controller170 may identify the position as the final position and may accordinglyconsider the corresponding position attained by the rod portions 140,140′ with respect to the ends 146, 146′ (or the cylinder portions 138,138′) as the operational parameter. Thereafter, the controller 170 mayactuate the second fluid cylinders 154, 154′ such that the second fluidcylinders 154, 154′ may move, causing the auger assembly 152 to alignwith respect to the screed assembly 126 at a predetermined distance withrespect to the screed assembly 126.

In the case of the operational parameter—‘change in position’, as soonas the controller 170 determines a changing position of the screedassembly 126, the controller 170 may start monitoring the correspondinglocations of the rod portions 158, 158′ with respect to the cylinderportions 156, 156′ of the second fluid cylinders 154, 154′ (through themap table), and as soon as a new location for the rod portions 158, 158′with respect to the cylinder portions 156, 156′ is determined (throughthe map table), the controller 170 may compare the new location to aninitial location of the rod portions 158, 158′ with respect to thecylinder portions 156, 156′ of the second fluid cylinders 154, 154′. Ifthe change between the new location and the initial location exceeds achange threshold, the controller 170 may initiate movement of the rodportions 158, 158′ relative to the cylinder portions 156, 156′ of thesecond fluid cylinders 154, 154′ and control a position of the augerassembly 152 such that the auger assembly 152 aligns with respect to thescreed assembly 126 at a predetermined distance with respect to thescreed assembly 126, along a movement of the screed assembly 126. Suchcontroller functionality may be applicable when a paving operation is inprocess.

Considering the aforesaid example—the controller 170 may consider achange in the position of the rod portions 140, 140′ with respect to thecylinder portions 138, 138′ during the movement of the screed assembly126 from position ‘A’ to position as the operational parameters, and assoon as corresponding change in the locations of the rod portions 158,158′ relative to the cylinder portions 156, 156′ of the second fluidcylinders 154, 154′ exceeds a change threshold, the controller 170 mayactuate the second fluid cylinders 154, 154′ such that the second fluidcylinders 154, 154′ may cause the auger assembly 152 to move along withthe movement of the screed assembly 126 and cause the auger assembly 152to align with respect to the screed assembly 126 at a predetermineddistance with respect to the screed assembly 126.

Further, the controller 170 may be communicably coupled to the inputdevice 120, as well. In one or more instances, the input device 120 (orany similar such device) may be applied to actuate (e.g., manuallyactuate) the auger assembly 152 relative to the mat 128. The controller170 may be able to detect such an actuation of the input device 120.Based on such actuation, in some embodiments, the controller 170 may beconfigured to override the control of the auger assembly 152 (that maybe based on the operational parameter) with the actuation of the inputdevice 120 so as to allow manual control of the auger assembly 152, whenrequired.

The controller 170 may include a processor 174 to process the generatedsignals or data detected by the sensors 150, 150′. Examples of theprocessor 174 may include, but are not limited to, an X86 processor, aReduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processor, an ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) processor, a Complex Instruction SetComputing (CISC) processor, an Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) processor, orany other processor.

Further, the controller 170 may include a transceiver 176. According tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver 176 mayenable the controller 170 to communicate (e.g., wirelessly) with the oneor more sensors 150 and/or other components of the paving machine 100over one or more of wireless radio links, infrared communication links,short wavelength Ultra-high frequency radio waves, short-range highfrequency waves, or the like. Example transceivers may include, but notlimited to, wireless personal area network (WPAN) radios compliant withvarious IEEE 802.15 (Bluetooth™) standards, wireless local area network(WLAN) radios compliant with any of the various IEEE 802.11 (WiFi™)standards, wireless wide area network (WWAN) radios for cellular phonecommunication, wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN) radioscompliant with various IEEE 802.15 (WiMAX™) standards, and wired localarea network (LAN) Ethernet transceivers for network data communication.

Examples of the memory 172 may include a hard disk drive (HDD), and asecure digital (SD) card. Further, the memory 172 may includenon-volatile/volatile memory units such as a random-access memory(RAM)/a read only memory (ROM), which include associated input andoutput buses.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

Referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary method for adjusting the augerassembly 152 for distributing the road forming material 124 for thepaving operation is discussed. The method is discussed by way of aflowchart 500, as provided in FIG. 5, that illustrates exemplary stages(i.e., from 502 to 506) associated with the method. The method is alsodiscussed in conjunction with FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. By viewing FIG. 1 andFIG. 2 together, two different operational states of the paving machine100 may be contemplated and visualized—one operational state in whichthe auger assembly 152 defines a first height relative to the screedassembly 126 (FIG. 1), and the other operational state in which theauger assembly 152 defines a second height relative to the screedassembly 126 so as to align with the screed assembly 126 (FIG. 2)—thesecond height being different from the first height ‘H1’.

During operation, either at the start of a work cycle or during a workcycle, an operator of the paving machine 100 may desire to move (i.e.,higher or lower) the screed assembly 126—a movement of the screedassembly 126 be attained by the use of an actuation device (not shown).As an example, a movement of the screed assembly 126 may correspond to alowering of the screed assembly 126 or a displacement of the screedassembly 126 towards the ground surface 102. As the screed assembly 126may need to be lowered, the rod portions 140, 140′ may be forced out ofthe cylinder portions 138, 138′. At this point, the sensors 150, 150′may detect data—e.g., data may be related to the proximity/distanceattained by the rod portions 140, 140′ with respect to the cylinderportions 138, 138′ and may then generate corresponding signals. Thecontroller 170 may receive said data/signals (stage 502 of flowchart500).

Once data detected by the sensors 150, 150′/signals generated by thesensors 150, 150′ are received by the controller 170, the controller 170may process said signals, and may accordingly determine the operationalparameter associated with the movement of the screed assembly 126 (stage504). As noted above, the controller 170 may fetch the map table todetermine the position of the rod portions 140, 140′ with respect to thecylinder portions 138, 138′, so as to in turn determine the operationalparameter (position′ or the ‘change in position’) of the screed assembly126. Once the operational parameter is determined, the controller 170may tally the position attained by the rod portions 140, 140′ withrespect to the cylinder portions 138, 138′ of the first fluid cylinders136, 136′ to the locations of the rod portions 158, 158′ with respect tothe cylinder portions 156, 156′ of the second fluid cylinders 154, 154′,as provided in the map table.

In case the operational parameter is—‘position’, the controller 170 mayidentify the locations of the rod portions 158, 158′ with respect to thecylinder portions 156, 156′ of the second fluid cylinders 154, 154′corresponding to the position of the rod portions 140, 140′ with respectto the cylinder portions 138, 138′, as attained at the end of themovement of the screed assembly 126, and may move and control theposition of the auger assembly 152 (by actuation of the second fluidcylinders 154, 154′) relative to the mat 128 based on said operationalparameter such that the auger assembly 152 aligns with respect to thescreed assembly 126 at a predetermined distance with respect to thescreed assembly 126.

In case the operational parameter is—‘change in position’, thecontroller 170 may monitor the change in locations of the rod portions158, 158′ with respect to the cylinder portions 156, 156′ of the secondfluid cylinders 154, 154′ (of the auger assembly 152) in correspondenceto the change in positions of the rod portions 140, 140′ with respect tothe cylinder portions 138, 138′ of the first fluid cylinders 136, 136′(of the screed assembly 126) (through the map table), and, as soon asthe change in the locations of the rod portions 158, 158′ with respectto the cylinder portions 156, 156′ of the second fluid cylinders 154,154′ exceeds a change threshold, the controller 170 may actuate thesecond fluid cylinders 154, 154′ such that the second fluid cylinders154, 154′ may cause the auger assembly 152 to move along with themovement of the screed assembly 126, and may cause the auger assembly152 to align with respect to the screed assembly 126 at a predetermineddistance with respect to the screed assembly 126 (stage 506).

According to an embodiment, an actuation of the second fluid cylinders154, 154′ to adjust the auger assembly 152 such that auger assembly 152aligns with respect to the screed assembly 126 at the predetermineddistance with respect to the screed assembly 126 may be facilitated bythe controller 170. For example, the controller 170 may control thehydraulic pump 166 (or any related fluid supply unit) to selectivelypass the fluid to the second fluid cylinders 154, 154′ to actuate thesecond fluid cylinders 154, 154′ thereby enabling the auger assembly 152to attain a desired position (i.e., a position which is at apredetermined distance with respect to the screed assembly 126). In someexamples, position detecting sensors, such as sensors 180, 180′, similarto the sensors 150, 150′, may be disposed within the second fluidcylinders 154, 154′ and may communicate with the controller 170 suchthat the controller 170 may track the actuation of the second fluidcylinders 154, 154′ as the auger assembly 152 attains the desiredposition.

In another exemplary scenario, the screed assembly 126 may be inclinedto obtain a desired slope ‘S’ (transverse to the direction of the pavingmachine 100, as shown in FIG. 3) of the mat 128. In such a case, thefirst fluid cylinders 136, 136′ may not move in tandem, and, rather, maymove different distances with respect to each other, allowing the screedassembly 126 to be moved with respect to the ground surface 102 todefine an inclination with respect to the ground surface 102 such thatthe first lateral side 132 of the screed assembly 126 is disposed higherthan the second lateral side 134 of the screed assembly 126. In such acase, the controller 170 may receive different/unequal signalsindicative of the positions of the rod portions 140, 140′ of the firstfluid cylinders 136, 136′, and, may accordingly control the position ofthe rod portions 158, 158′ with respect to the cylinder portions 156,156′ of the second fluid cylinders 154, 154′ such that the augerassembly 152 aligns above the screed assembly 126 and defines thepredetermined distance with respect to the first lateral side 132 of thescreed assembly 126.

With the application of the system 168, paving operations undertaken bythe paving machine 100 are more efficient. Also, there is no disruptionin the associated paving operation that may otherwise cause ashortage/reduced supply of the road forming material 124 (or pavingmaterial) to be forced under the screed assembly 126. Moreover, with thecontroller 170 using the sensors 150, 150′ (that detect the position ofthe pistons 142, 142′ and/or the rod portions 140, 140′ with respect tothe corresponding cylinder portions 138, 138′), a more precise datarelated to the position of the screed assembly 126 is obtained, andbased on which a correspondingly more precise positioning of the augerassembly 152 is attained, enabling the auger assembly 152 to perform theaforementioned tasks of sufficiently spreading and distributing the roadforming material in front of the screed assembly 126. The system 168thus mitigates operational disruptions, increases work efficiency, andreduces the overall machine and/or operational downtime.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the method/process of thepresent disclosure without departing from the scope of the disclosure.Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromconsideration of the specification and practice of the method/processdisclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples beconsidered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure beingindicated by the following claims and their equivalent.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for operating an auger assembly fordistributing road forming material for a paving operation, the systemcomprising: a controller configured to: receive data detected by one ormore sensors; determine an operational parameter associated with amovement of a screed assembly based on data; and control a position ofthe auger assembly based on the operational parameter such that theauger assembly aligns with respect to the screed assembly at apredetermined distance with respect to the screed assembly.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are correspondinglydisposed within one or more first fluid cylinders configured to powerthe movement of the screed assembly relative to the ground surface. 3.The system of claim 2, wherein each first fluid cylinder of the one ormore first fluid cylinders includes a cylinder portion and a rod portiondisplaceable with respect to the cylinder portion, wherein data detectedby the one or more sensors includes a position of the rod portion withrespect to the cylinder portion.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein theoperational parameter associated with the movement of the screedassembly includes the position of the rod portion with respect to thecylinder portion attained at an end of the movement of the screedassembly.
 5. The system of claim 3, wherein the operational parameterassociated with the movement of the screed assembly includes a change inthe position of the rod portion with respect to the cylinder portionduring the movement of the screed assembly relative to the groundsurface.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the screed assembly is movedwith respect to the ground surface to define an inclination with respectto the ground surface such that a first lateral side of the screedassembly is disposed higher than a second lateral side of the screedassembly, wherein the controller is configured to: control the positionof the auger assembly such that the auger assembly aligns above thescreed assembly and defines the predetermined distance with respect tothe first lateral side of the screed assembly.
 7. The system of claim 1,wherein the controller is configured to: detect an actuation of an inputdevice to move the auger assembly; and override the control of the augerassembly based on the operational parameter with the actuation of theinput device to allow the control of the position of the auger assemblyto be based on the actuation of the input device.
 8. A method foradjusting an auger assembly for distributing road forming material for apaving operation, the method comprising: receiving, by a controller,data detected by one or more sensors; determining, by the controller, anoperational parameter associated with a movement of a screed assemblybased on data; and controlling, by the controller, a position of theauger assembly based on the operational parameter such that the augerassembly aligns with respect to the screed assembly at a predetermineddistance with respect to the screed assembly.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein the one or more sensors are correspondingly disposed within oneor more first fluid cylinders configured to power the movement of thescreed assembly relative to the ground surface.
 10. The method of claim9, wherein each first fluid cylinder of the one or more first fluidcylinders includes a cylinder portion and a rod portion displaceablewith respect to the cylinder portion, and data detected by the one ormore sensors includes a position of the rod portion with respect to thecylinder portion.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the operationalparameter associated with the movement of the screed assembly includesthe position of the rod portion with respect to the cylinder portionattained at an end of the movement of the screed assembly.
 12. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the operational parameter associated withthe movement of the screed assembly includes a change in the position ofthe rod portion with respect to the cylinder portion during the movementof the screed assembly relative to the ground surface.
 13. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the screed assembly is moved with respect to the groundsurface to define an inclination with respect to the ground surface suchthat a first lateral side of the screed assembly is disposed higher thana second lateral side of the screed assembly, the method furtherincluding: controlling, by the controller, the position of the augerassembly such that the auger assembly aligns above the screed assemblyand defines the predetermined distance with respect to the first lateralside of the screed assembly.
 14. The method of claim 8 furtherincluding: detecting, by the controller, an actuation of an input deviceto move the auger assembly; and overriding, by the controller, thecontrol of the auger assembly based on the operational parameter withthe actuation of the input device to allow the control of the positionof the auger assembly to be based on the actuation of the input device.15. A paving machine, comprising: a tractor; a screed assembly operablycoupled to the tractor; one or more first fluid cylinders configured topower a movement of the screed assembly relative to a ground surface;one or more sensors configured to detect data indicative of the movementof the screed assembly relative to the ground surface; an auger assemblydisposed between the tractor and the screed assembly and adapted tospread and distribute paving material in front of the screed assembly;and a controller configured to: receive data detected by the one or moresensors; determine an operational parameter associated with the movementof the screed assembly based on data; and control a position of theauger assembly based on the operational parameter such that the augerassembly aligns with respect to the screed assembly at a predetermineddistance with respect to the screed assembly.
 16. The paving machine ofclaim 15, wherein the one or more sensors are correspondingly disposedwithin the one or more first fluid cylinders, wherein each first fluidcylinder of the one or more first fluid cylinders includes a cylinderportion and a rod portion displaceable with respect to the cylinderportion, and data detected by the one or more sensors includes aposition of the rod portion with respect to the cylinder portion. 17.The paving machine of claim 16, wherein the operational parameterassociated with the movement of the screed assembly includes theposition of the rod portion with respect to the cylinder portionattained at an end of the movement of the screed assembly.
 18. Thepaving machine of claim 16, wherein the operational parameter associatedwith the movement of the screed assembly includes a change in theposition of the rod portion with respect to the cylinder portion duringthe movement of the screed assembly relative to the ground surface. 19.The paving machine of claim 15, wherein the screed assembly is movedwith respect to the ground surface to define an inclination with respectto the ground surface such that a first lateral side of the screedassembly is disposed higher than a second lateral side of the screedassembly, wherein the controller is configured to: control the positionof the auger assembly such that the auger assembly aligns above thescreed assembly and defines the predetermined distance with respect tothe first lateral side of the screed assembly.
 20. The paving machine ofclaim 15 wherein the controller is configured to: detect an actuation ofan input device to move the auger assembly; and override the control ofthe auger assembly based on the operational parameter with the actuationof the input device to allow the control of the position of the augerassembly to be based on the actuation of the input device.